Our sunbirds are common enough and their hanging nests are a joy to have in garages and patios but I have never seen the bright blue throat of the yellow-bellied male, so am I right im assuming they are the olive-backed sunbird?
What got me looking them up is watching one on the desert roses. I assumed he/she was collecting the downy seed "parachute" for nesting but aparrently he was shaking that off and then eating the seed. The book says they are nectar eaters and they certainly have the beak for that.
We are in the grip of a bad drought and flowers would be hard to find. Would this behaviour be normal or desperate?
I am feeding a mixed flock of nutmeg and chestnut breasted mannikins with pannicum and providing water. What else can I do to help birds in general? Planting trees is not a short-term answer. The red-eyed fig birds enjoy the mulberries.
This the desert rose seed
Olive-Backed Sunbirds are the same species as Yellow-Bellied Sunbirds (just a different name for the same species). But you are right that the male has a blue throat, I don't know why you haven't seen any though. I cant help you with anything else.
male Olive-backed Sunbird from Mackay, very surprising that oyu have not seen a male bird previously particularly if you have had them nesting in your garage
Peter
What is that tree Peter? The flower looks like a fairy paintbrush.
Thommo, your question What else can I do to help birds in general? is both interesting & important. Droughts have been a normal part of Australia's environment & our wildlife has adapted to survive in droughts. Under these normal cycles of environmental boom & bust the best thing you can do to help birds survive is protect & restore their natural habitats. Joining a bush care group would be a good way to do this.
Now that Australia is subjected to climate change with, among other things, longer & more intense droughts, we're facing a quite different situation. Do we artificially fed native birds to sustain them under climate change while taking away their independence? Do we have to keep doing this until our leaders finally come to their senses & take serious action to combat climate change? But how long before our climate returns to normal & do we keep artificially feeding birds until it does? Or is the best thing we can do is withhold our votes from any politician who isn't prepared to protect Earth's climate? Or do we help extend habitats more suited to the new conditions brought about by our profligate use of fossil fuels? Or do we adopt some or all of these actions?
It isn't easy to answer your question & perhaps each individual needs to consider which approach suits her/him.
Woko, You may be amazed to know that I have no way of reversing "climate change" and nor have you.
Tree looks like a Calliandra sp. .. C. surianmensis?
often confused with Albizia julibrissin which has bipinnate leaves. .
as for the finches i'd recommend planting some local grasses to provide seed and nesting material, though they will need water (the grasses and finches).
also note the Nutmeg Mannikin is not actually native to Australia.
"also note the Nutmeg Mannikin is not actually native to Australia. "
I am aware but our natives have long gone. :( The chestnut breasted [First year I've ever seen them and I'm an oldie] are happy to keep them company and are a quarter of the flock and no way are they being bullied, possibly the reverse so I'm happy to feed them all. I won't even think of weaning them off the hand feeding 'til it rains and that could be months yet.
Thommo, we might not be able to reverse climate change individually but if we join forces we might have a good crack at it.
Even if we cannot reverse climate change, we can (if we pull together) mitigate its effects. Of course, that relies on everyone admitting it exists in the first place - and there are some very powerful individuals who stand to gain from delaying that for as long as possible.
How about we don't try and help them?
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
Global warming is the world's greatest SCAM. But this is a "Birds" forum, case closed for me.
...but wait a minute - you previously said we cannot control it. Now you say it doesn't exist. Odd.
I wonder if you have ever read a single scientific article on the matter? Nope, just case closed.
P.S. Birds are *extremely* affected by global warming. This is a highly relevant topic here. Case and mind open, for me.
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
Please Birds In Backyards, accept my resignation from your community. I did not come here to be harangued by small minded bigots.
Remove my email from your data base too.
I wish those of you who love birds all the best.